How to play
No source for the original rules exists except this revised edition which is made simple and easy to understand. It was borrowed from https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/143769/hyborian-gates-rules. It is a lot easier to read as a .pdf file so go use the link provided to download the file. If anyone finds the real rules please add them. ' Hyborian Gates '· Play Troopers and Monsters in your Ready Area, attach matching Companions, Tech, and Vehicles · Transport the Group to Dimensions or Enemy Gates using your own Gates which must have enough power · Battles are one Trooper versus one Trooper, plus Attachments, Vortex Tactics and Gaean magic · Control Dimensions to win Layout Ready Area Hyborian Gates Gaean Gates Asgard Gates Atlantean Gates Osiran Gates Chaos Gates Hyboria Gaea Asgard Atlantis Osiris Chaos (black) (green) (white) (blue) (yellow) (red) Hyborian Gates Gaean Gates Asgard Gates Atlantean Gates Osiran Gates Chaos Gates Ready Area Card Types Trooper Champions who other cards from the same Dimension are attached to. Fight the battles over Dimensions and Gates. Have a native Dimension where they get bonuses. Monster A type of Trooper. From the Chaos Dimension. Have a special Dimension walk ability. Companion Attach to Troopers from the same Dimension. Add to Strength and Defense or special abilities. Tech Attach to Troopers from the same Dimension. Add to Strength and Defense or special abilities. Vehicle Attach to Troopers from the same Dimension. Add to Strength and Defense or special abilities. Only one vehicle per Trooper. Vortex Tactic Played in battle. Gaean Magic Played in battle after Vortex Tactics if you control a Gaean Trooper. Power Surge Played at any time, on any players turn, if it is not a simultaneous phase. Gate Used to transport Troopers and Attachments to Dimensions or Enemy Gates. Winning 2 Players Control 5 Dimensions 3 Players Control 4 Dimensions 4 Players Control 3 Dimensions 5-8 Players (Add second Universe) Control 3 Dimensions, at least 1 in each Universe Trooper Abilities Gaea · Let you use Gaean Magic Cards, once per battle per Trooper · May play Gaean Magic from the same or neighboring Dimensions if not involved in a battle in the neighboring Dimension the same turn Osiris · Unlimited +1 Strength for each Attached Tech · Once, +3 Strength if there is both an Attached Tech and Companion Chaos · Only Troopers who may use Dimension Walk transport ability Asgard · Only Troopers who may use Vehicles (1 per) Atlantis · If they control a Dimension for at least 1 turn and are not involved in a battle the same turn, may lend support to neighboring dimension once per turn giving +1 Strength to a Trooper for themselves, and +1 Strength for each Atlantis Attachment on them Hyboria · High natural Strength Setup Starting Play 1. Place Dimensions onto table in order (Chaos and Hyboria are considered neighboring) (Simultaneous) 2. Play one Trooper from deck into Ready Area 3. Play one Gate from deck in front of the matching Dimension 4. Add a pyramid to the Gate 5. Draw to 7 Phases Draw · All players draw 1 plus the number of Dimensions controlled (Simultaneous) · 4 card draw maximum · If a player draws the last card in their deck the game ends and the player controlling the most Dimensions wins. In case of a tie compare Strength in Ready Areas. If still a tie, game is tied Gates · Players may play 1 gate in front of the matching Dimension and place a pyramid on it (Simultaneous) · Gates may not be overloaded the turn they are played Player Order for · First active player is whomever has the most gates in play Turn Phases · Tie is whomever brought the most pyramids to the table · Active player plays all remaining stages alone Overload · May place any number of pyramids on gate that is not overloaded already to increase its Power · Gate is now overload and will destruct in X turns according to overload chart Attach · May attach one Vehicle and any number of Companions and Techs to Troopers in the Ready Area · Must attach to cards of the same Dimension type · Vehicles may only · Attached cards add the Strength and Defense in upper left, transport cost in upper right, and any abilities to the Trooper Transport · May transport Troopers and Attachments up to the Gates Power (see chart) from Ready Area to or from Dimensions, or to enemy Gates. · Transporting to Enemy Gates take the same amount of Power as transporting to its Dimension · Multiple Troopers my transport to the same place, which is considered a Campaign · Amount of Power needed is the number of Dimension symbols in upper right on the Trooper plus all Attachments · Troopers may transport without Attachments, but Attachments without a Trooper are destroyed · Troopers of type Monster may walk to a neighboring Dimension but if they do lose all Attachments. · Troopers may only transport, walk, or otherwise move once a turn. Combat Attack Dimensions or Enemy Gates. See Chart Ready · May play Troopers or Attachments to Ready Area Activation · Discard down to 7 cards · Players overloaded Gates have a counter removed · Overloaded gates with no counters are destroyed · Say to player on left "Your Gates are active", they start their overload phase End Phase · Check for win, controlling a Dimension is having a Trooper there (Simultaneous) · Go to Draw phase Combat Phases Combat at Gate · Defender draws up to 3 cards stopping if they have 7 in hand prior to combat starting (skip otherwise) · Defender may play cards in hand in Ready Area · Defender chooses if they want to defend the Gate with any Troopers in Ready Area Attack · Attacking player chooses a single Trooper with all Attachments to Attack · Defending player chooses a single Trooper with all Attachments to Defend · Troopers in their native Dimension get +3 Strength Vortex Tactics · Attacker may play Vortex Tactics face down · Defender may play Vortex Tactics · Resolve Defenders Vortex Tactics, then Attackers Gaean Magic · If a player has a Gaean Trooper they may play Gaean Magic Cards Compare Strength · If Attackers Strength is greater than Defender Defense, the Defender dies · If Attackers Strength is less than Defenders Defense, the Attacker dies · Even if the Defender dies, if the Defenders Strength is greater than Attackers Defense, the Attacker dies Campaign · If there are still Troopers from either side, repeat from Attack phase Resolve Gate Combat · If the Attacker still has a Trooper at the enemy Gate, the Gate is destroyed and the Attacker now *permanently owns* any Pyramids on the Gate · Attackers surviving Troopers and Attachments return to their Ready Area Other Rules Trooper Limit · The maximum number of Troopers a player may have in each individual Dimension is the number of Gates they control · Any time a gate is destroyed, the player must immediately sacrifice Troopers to meet this limit Power Surges · May be played in phase, including opponents, which is not simultaneous Immunity · If a Trooper or Attachment has Immunity, it extends to all cards in the unless they state otherwise · Immunity negates all effects of the card including Strength bonuses. Pretend it isn't there Cards Effects · Cards only effect the Dimension they are in unless they state otherwise Deck Limits · Decks must have at least 50 cards · Only 2 copies of a card per deck · Gates must be at least 1/10 of the deck (5 of 50) · Gates with special powers must be at most 1/3 of Gates (1 of 5, 2 of 6) Gate Power Gate Color versus Pyramid Color Transport Destination Base Power Overload Bonus Gate has at least 1 Matching Pyramid Matching Dimension 2 +2 per Overload Pyramid Gate has at least 1 Matching Pyramid Neighboring Dimension 1 +1 per Overload Pyramid Gate has at least 1 Matching Pyramid Other Dimension 0 +1 per Overload Pyramid Gates has no Matching Pyramids Matches Gate or Pyramid 1 +1 per Overload Pyramid Gate Overload 1 Pyramid Overload 4 Counters 2 Pyramid Overload 3 Counters 3 Pyramid Overload 2 Counters 4 Pyramid Overload 1 Counters